Proper ways to pin insects. 



lustrated. (Fig. 20 b, c.) 



Height of Specimen on Pin. Holding the 

 specimen in the left hand and the pin in 

 the right (reverse if left-handed), the pin 

 is thrust thru the insect (see Fig. 20d) un- 

 til about one-fourth of its length is exposed 

 above the specimen. This allows room for 

 handling the pin with the attached insect. 



It is advisable to have a pinning block 

 in order that each specimen may be placed 

 at the proper distance from the head of the 

 pin. Two types are generally used— the 

 three-step block and the three-hold type. 

 (See Pig. 21.) The insect is placed on the 

 pin and the head of the pin is inserted in 

 hole number one of the 3-hole block or the 

 low step of the 3-step block and the speci- 

 men pushed down until the back touches 

 the block. 



If one is doing much pinning he will 

 soon learn to gauge the proper height with 



his eye and will need to use the pinning 

 block for an occasional specimen only. To 

 help gauge the distance a piece of paper 

 can be placed on a pin at the proper 

 height by using the deepest hole in the 

 block. This pin can be used as a guide, 

 and when in doubt the height of the speci- 

 men can be compared to the regulated 

 height. See Fig. 24 for proper order of 

 labels on pin. 



Mounting on Minnten Nadeln. Minut- 

 en nadeln are short and extremely delicate 

 steel pins, without heads. These are thrust 

 thru the body of the insect and into small 

 pieces of pinning cork, pith or other sub- 

 stances which, in turn, are mounted on 

 standard #3 pins. This method of mount- 

 ing is especially desirable for minute moths 

 and soft-bodied fragile forms such as small 

 lace wings, flies, etc. 



Proceed as follows in pinning specimens 

 on minuten nadeln: 



1. Hold the specimen carefully between thumb 

 and forefinger and push the minuten thru the 

 insect with forceps (see Fig. 22a). Push the 

 minuten until enough of it comes thru on the 

 ventral side, where it can be grasped by forceps. 

 (Warning: Be careful not to force the minuten 

 into the finger tip.) 



2. Grasp the minuten with forceps below the 

 specimen and thrust into a cork block. (Fig. 

 22b). 



3. A #3 insect pin is then thrust' thru the 

 cork block (Fig. 22c). 



4. The cork block is then raised to the proper 

 height by using the #2 step or hole of the pin- 

 ning block. It should be about 18 mm. from 

 the point of the pin. (Fig. 22d.) 



Expanding or Spreading Specimens. 

 Specimens of most the orders of insects can 



Fig. 21. Two types of pinning blocks. 



